MBA Residency

As a program requirement for our Professional Online MBA students, each Residency is three days with Raleigh Residency I held in Raleigh during the first semester of your program and Raleigh Residency II to be completed before graduation.

“What’s great about the residencies is that they give our professional students not only the opportunity to take a class in three days but to meet other MBAs in the program. [Students can] take advantage of something that full-time MBAs have had for a long time – the ability to develop their network,” said Leigh Shamblin, Director of Leadership.

How It Works

The Raleigh Residency is a crash course in leadership development, providing 80 to 100 Professional Online MBA students access to the same relationship building and networking opportunities as their full-time classmates. 

Raleigh Residency I 

• Engage in exercises and activities to learn about their strengths, review emotional intelligence, and examine their presentation and communication style. 
• Meet with an advisor who will assist them with their career profile, LinkedIn profile, resume, and more.
• Explore the principles of teams and team management.
• Take part in a simulation on change management – examining how they will manage all of the change around them as they become leaders.

Raleigh Residency II 

• Faculty-led topic discussions on: 
  • Managing People; 
  • Decision Making and Empowerment; 
  • Leading Teams and Global Team Leadership. 

The Benefits

For busy professionals and online students who may also be working while pursuing their MBA, the Raleigh Residency provides an opportunity to connect with other students, while receiving course credit in a short, time-intensive format. 

Students travel from other states and even other countries, to complete the residencies, creating a memorable experience for all in attendance. When asked how the Residency benefits students, the Director of Leadership, Leigh Shamblin, said that students: 

• Develop an extensive network of their peers, forming connections that may lead to future academic or professional opportunities. 
• Gain essential leadership skills–leadership skills are an integral component of the MBA program as professionals are often promoted based on their technical brilliance, but may struggle to lead people. Students must understand how to make the transition from doer to influencer and leader.
• Make new connections during the second session by asking questions or going in-depth in new areas that students might not have considered the first time around.